Having Impact in My Hometown with Cisco – Cisco Blogs

We can all make an impact. How have you made yours? For me, as a Consulting Engineer on our Customer Experience team in Bangalore, India — I have turned to educating my town’s children during what has been a difficult time for us all.

You see, I come from a very small town in India named Osmanabad where virtual collaboration tools, its awareness and internet infrastructure are not as good as they are In Tier-1 cities. Technology for many across the world is something, at times, taken for granted. But, for my small town (and many others like it), low latency, high bandwidth systems haven’t reached us yet.

Kids in our town are at a real disadvantage, especially if they are in the budding years of their academic life. This lack of technology, and the knowledge that comes with it, is the equivalent of taking away one year of growth and development from these kids — unless the likes of you or I, who are in a position of privilege, do something about It.

Technology, in short, changes the way we grow and learn, and our ability to dream even larger than before. And that’s where Cisco comes in. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all — and that includes bridging gaps and connecting the unconnected.

With the shifts that 2020 brought us, kids in my town began attending classes via a mobile device, but many teachers struggled to transition from teaching by way of chalk board to PowerPoints. Parents worried about their children’s education.

I saw the need that my town had, and that I could perhaps help with my knowledge and access to technology. In result, I started a weekly catch up with kids (most are between the ages of 10 and 16) where I would engage and share what I knew about Mathematics, Computer Science terminologies, and we’d even chat about Python sometimes.

Whenever they get bombarded with a lot of information from my end, we take small breaks and do Q&A sessions. In these sessions, they ask some very large questions like:

• What is the internet?
• How does it operate?
• What is programming?
• What is Cisco?
• How does Cisco play a role in making internet service available to everyone?

The glimmer in their eyes, the radiance they show with the new knowledge they gain is so gratifying to me that no title, position, or amount of money can ever match up to the level of satisfaction that I feel. This experience made me realize that the real joy is in giving! And the pride I feel that my company plays a role in not only connecting the unconnected but encouraging me to give back is amazing.

This new world has shown us many things, and while technology is catching up in tier-2 and tier-3 cities — we are not quite there. That is where the human network is at its best. My Cisco team and entire leadership have been supportive of this initiative. I also think that Cisco’s culture, which includes a flexible work environment, motivational leaders and dedication to giving back to society are key drivers behind inspiring me to make this impact.

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